Rawa or Rao (Malay: Melayu Rawa) is a group of Minangkabau people who come from Rao, West Sumatra. In the Malay Peninsula, now the West Malaysia, it is common for the Rawa to identify themselves as Ughang Rawo or Ughang Rao or even Rao.
The population spread around Perak, several parts in Penang, Selangor and Pahang. Gopeng, a small town in Perak is a well-known town for its Rawa community who is still preserving most of its tradition and dialect for centuries, way before the formation of Malaysia.
Among the most notable suffixes used by the Rawa is kuak, sang, tang.
Rawa cuisine
Kelamai, Gulai Nangko and Asom Iken Koli have become the signature cuisine of the Rawa community in which they mastered every inch of its details and procedures. Many tourists who joined the Gopeng Homestay Program in Gopeng will experiene this cuisine. Kelamai or Kelamei is a sweet dark brown delicacy similar to Lemang. It is cooked for hours inside a specifically chosen bamboo under very tedious supervision. Not to mention the complicated pre cook procedures of preparing the down.
Tradition
Adet Berjojak (Malay: Adat Berjejak) is a traditional ritual usually practiced for children. There are very detail protocols and constrains to abide upon completion.
